PAGE A8 • FEBRUARY 1, 2011
THE POSEY COUNTY NEWS • SERVING THE COUNTY SINCE 1882 • WWW.POSEYCOUNTYNEWS.COM
CHURCH CHURCH HURCH
Sermon of the Week: Grace abounds in Christianity By Rev. Steven Walker The Turning Point Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” The first thing God created was light. “God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light” Genesis 1:3. The Bible tells us that when God called the Hebrew people out of Egypt God went before Israel in the wilderness as a pillar of fire by night. The right path before them was illuminated that they might follow. Throughout the bible light is a symbol of an encounter with the divine. Moses met God through the burning bush. Upon Mount Sinai the glory of the Lord shone with such intensity Moses walked down with a tan worthy of a tanning salon commercial. Light is also a symbol of the law of Moses and the Word of the Lord. Another feature of the appearance of divine light is that it demands a response. Jesus taught about this with a simple juxtaposition: follow the light or walk in darkness. Jesus said, “I Am the Light of the World.” The first thing to notice about this saying of Jesus is its scope - the World. This is not a case where the Lord God makes his light available to one man - like Moses and the burning bush or Elijah and the chariot of fire. It is not like the Lord God appearing in a pillar of fire for the Hebrew people alone. It is not even like the transfiguration of the shining glory of Jesus revealed to his closest disciples. No, it is for everyone everywhere. Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” There is no insider trading. There are no secret clubs. There are no haves and have nots. The light of Jesus shines for each and all. This is an important point because many would shy away from such illumination, not for defiance, but for timidity. Many believe they are not important enough for the divine light to shine for them, not spiritual enough, or not good enough. Yet the truth speaks as Jesus speaks, “I am the light of the world.” - for each and all. Another feature of the light is that it both exposes
Worship with us
Agape Family Ministries Pastor Jim Weihrauch 5529 Industrial Road Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-838-2232 Sunday/Children’s Church 10:30 a.m. Wed. Prayer Service 7 p.m. Apostolic Bible Church Pastor Greg Morrison 9808 New Harmony Road Poseyville, IN 47633 Phone: 812-851-5456 Sunday Service at 10 a.m.; 6 p.m. Wed. Night Bible Study 7:30 p.m. Bethesda General Baptist Church 1600 Savah Road Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Black’s United Methodist Church Pastor Lester Howard 8012 Baldknob Road Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-838-0318 Sunday Worship 9 a.m. Sunday School 10 a.m. Calvary Baptist Church Rev. Kevin Petty 618 Main Street Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-838-4777 Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.; 6 p.m. Wednesday Prayer Meeting 7 p.m.
and guides. I want to share with you a story that came to me from a hiking friend of mine, John Bitner, who just finished a 2200 mile thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail this past December. This is what he says. Hiking in the woods can be tricky at night, especially with a dim headlamp about to go out. Your mind goes into overdrive trying to process information of sounds, smells, and the feel of the trail underfoot. It's a bit spooky. I’m alone. This is not a popular section of trail. It feels sinister. I have always had good instincts, creepy accurate intuition. Something didn't seem right. I sensed a threat. But it is night and even your intuition can wander in the dark. Than it came. All at once. Suddenly there was this bright light that turned on, illuminating everything in front of me. I stopped cold in my tracks. “Who just turned this spotlight on me!”, I questioned. When you’re a combat soldier in the Army you learn about ambushes. There are two types. Far side ambush and near side ambush. A far side ambush is usually artillery. Imagine walking along and shells begin raining down upon you. That means there is a spotter in the hills calling in the strike. You’ve got to get out of there fast. A near side ambush, however, is the bad one. This is when a group of enemy is waiting closely for you to pass. As you do they open fire and toss grenades with the intention of killing you. Very deadly encounter. As the bright light was closing in on me, I realized I was in a near side ambush. Someone was coming fast, less than ten feet away. It is nighttime and dark. I know this will not be a friendly encounter. There have been, over the years, a dozen or more murders on this trail. There are some shady cats that linger. I remembered Sgt. Fuller. He could be a pain sometimes, but he cared about us. On one training exercise I was leading a squad in reacting to a near side ambush.
You've got to react as if your already dead. You've got to sell out. Your only chance is to directly attack the ambushers. Everybody turns, fires and rushes right into the attack in order to overwhelm them with fierce intensity. I thought we did okay, but he pulled me aside. Usually you called by your last name in the Army, but Sgt. Fuller had a way of getting face to face and making it personal when he wanted to make a point. He asked, "What did you do wrong John?” "I don't know,” I replied. “Violence. You've got to be violent,” he said with deadly seriousness. I braced for violence. This was not a friendly encounter. I know that when I turn around I'm going to have just a moment to evaluate the threat and respond. If I'm being attacked by a crazy backwoods guy, I'm not fooling around, I'm going for the kill. You have no idea what they've got, or what they are capable of. I've got to sell out. Sgt. Fuller’s words were propelling me to action. I threw down my right trekking pole and reached for my knife. I would use my left pole as a first defense to throw the attacker off balance. If in that split second of turning around I perceive a deadly threat, I'll be going for the throat with my knife. There is no time to be scared, but I found time anyway. I turned and the light was very bright. My attacker was right in front of me. “Oh God,” I thought, “This is it.” I couldn't believe what I saw next. It was God. Not literally, but figuratively. The bright light was the moon. I laughed and hoped no one saw that. You see all at once I stepped into a spot where the moon was no longer hidden by the mountain behind me. All at once it was clear and bright. Suddenly, I could see the trail clearly. I turned off my dim light and followed the big one up above. It wasn't attacking me, or hindering me, it was guiding me. And I was ready to kill it! Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” Funny thing about light. It exposes everything. Have you ever had the experience of mov-
Wednesday Prayer Meeting, 6:30pm
Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.
Fair Haven Christ Fellowship Pastor Mike Douglas Hwy 68 West Cynthiana, IN 47612 Phone: 812-568-8409 Sunday Worship: 9:57 a.m. Wednesday Evening: 6:57 p.m.
Harvestime Temple Pastor Mark Tabor 101 Roosevelt Drive Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-838-5447 Christian Education 9 a.m. Sunday Worship 10 a.m.; 6 p.m. Wed. Worship 7 p.m.
First Baptist Church Pastor Derrick Ousley 1205 N. Main Street Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-845-3324 Sunday Prayer 8:27 a.m. Sunday Worship 9:57 p.m. ; 6:15 p.m. Wed. Evening 6:57 a.m.
Holy Angels Catholic Church Father Thomas J. Kessler 423 South Street New Harmony, IN 47631 Phone: 812-838-2535 Sunday Mass 10:45 a.m.
First Baptist Church E. Tavern Street New Harmony, IN 47631 Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:40 a.m.; 7 p.m. Wed. Evening 7 p.m. First Christian Church Pastor Mary Hurley 7226 Hwy 66 Wadesville, IN 47638 Phone: 812-673-4278 Sunday Worship 10 a.m.
Independent Pentecostal Assembly Pastor David Payne 312 Mulberry Street Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.; 7 p.m. Thursday 7 p.m.
First Christian Church Rev. Tom Buffington 1403 Country Club Road Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-838-2855 Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m. Wed. Bible Study and Children’s program 6:30
Johnson United Methodist Church Rev. John Adams 403 Raintree, New Harmony, IN 47631 Phone: 812-682-4648 Sunday School 9 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.
First Church of the Nazarene Rev. Myers Hyman 424 Vine Street Mount Vernon, IN 47620 838-2743
Lighthouse Assembly of God Pastor Jason Farrar 1005 E. Tavern St. New Harmony, Ind. 47631
First Presbyterian Church Rev. Monica Gould 120 E. Sixth Street Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-838-2473 Sunday School 9 a.m. Worship Service 10:15 a.m.
Church of Christ 700 Mill Street Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-838-2635 Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.
First United Church of Christ Pastor Bret A. Myers Corner of North & Walnut Cynthiana, IN 47612 Sunday Worship 8:00 a.m.
Church of the Nazarene 531 E. Steammill Street New Harmony, IN 47631 Phone: 812-682-3288 Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m. & 6 p.m.
First United Methodist Church Pastor Tim Ahlemeyer 601 Main Street Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-838-2640 Sunday School 9:30 Sunday Worship 8:15 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
Covenant Reformed Presbyeterian Church (OPC) Pastor Russ Westbrook Pastor Sam Allison 4101 Caborn Rd. Mt. Vernon Sunday Worship, 9:45am
Immanuel United Church of Christ Rev. Paul Seburg 5812 N. Ford Road Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-985-3115 Sunday School 9 a.m. Sunday Worship 10 a.m.
Griffin Christian Church Rev. Doug Emberton 319 N. Main Street, Griffin, IN 47616 Phone: 812-851-3291
Messiah Lutheran Church Rev. Sean Esterline 7700 Middle Mount Vernon Road Evansville, IN 47712 Phone: 812-985-2278 Sunday Worship 8 a.m. & 10:15 a.m. Sunday School 9 a.m. Wed. Folk Service 6:30 p.m. Thursday Bible Study 10 a.m. Mount Pleasant Church 3801 Blackford Road Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-838-3930 Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m. Mount Vernon General Baptist Church Pastor Matthew Watson 1717 N. Main Street Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-838-4555 Sunday School 9:30 Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m. & 6 p.m. Wednesday Student Ministries
Vectren Senior Operation Supervisor Mike Smith presents Mayor John Tucker and City Councilman Steve Fuelling with a $2,500 check from the Vectren Foundation last Tuesday, Jan. 25, to cover costs of 12 red oaks and 10 clumps of redbuds at the Mount Vernon riverfront. Vectren has also donated manpower and equipment to plant the trees. The trees and mulch were sold at a good discount by Long Valley Nursery, N. St. Joe Ave., in Evansville. Photo by Pam Robinson. ing a piece of furniture, like a chair or sofa? You move it out of the house, onto the back of a truck, step back and look at it in the bright daylight. Doesn’t look as good at it did tucked away in a dark den. Light exposes, reveals, uncovers, that upon which it shines. For my friend John, when the moon came out from behind the mountain it seemed to him that he had been spotted, discovered, exposed and it made him feel threatened. He was ready to “kill it.” In verses 19 and 20 of John, chapter 8 Jesus said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” Jesus, Light of the World, does that. Exposes things. Oddly enough, this is a good thing. There is a story in the gospel of John about a women who had been caught committing adultery. The law of Moses levied the penalty - death. Some men of the village brought her to Jesus. They had condemned her and were now ready to execute her. But Jesus, Light of the World, exposed, not her, but them. He revealed their motives. “Let the one without sin cast the first stone,” Jesus spoke. They held her, condemned her as if to proclaim, “Look we do not commit this sin. We are more
moral. We, at least, don’t do that.” The light of Jesus exposed their true motive. It was not justice, not a love for the Law of the Lord, but of self-justifying condemnation. Much of what passes as righteous indignation is just this. Jesus, Light of the World, exposes things. That can be threatening to us. How do you turn this function of the Light into guidance and inspiration? [John 12:46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in dark-
ness.] One word - Grace. The One whose light shines is the One who died for us. Grace changes the threat into inspiration. I love how my friend John, in the moment of epiphany proclaimed, “It wasn't attacking me, or hindering me, it was guiding me. And I was ready to kill it!” Jesus, Light of the World, shines to guide us, inspire us, energize us, and warm us. We would do well to welcome this and follow. Jesus - I am - Light of the World.
6 p.m.
700 West Caborn Road Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-985-3751 Sunday Worship 10 a.m.
Wed. Bible Study 7:00 p.m.
Mount Zion General Baptist Church Rev. Rick Sellers 1425 Oliver Road Wadesville, IN 47638 Phone: 812-783-2337 Sunday School 9:30 Sunday Worship 10:30; 6 p.m. Wed. Bible Study 7 p.m.
St. Matthew Catholic Church Father Thomas J. Kessler 421 Mulberry Street Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-838-2535 Saturday Mass 6:30 p.m. Sunday Mass 9 a.m.
New Beginnings Christian Fellowship Church 11420 Middle Mount Vernon Road Evansville, IN 47712 Phone: 812-985-5288
Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church Rev. Rev. Paul Huntsman 46 Cales Street, IN 47633 Phone: 812-874-2251
New Harmony Christian Church Rev. Harry Wheatcroft 307 N. Brewery Street New Harmony, IN 47631 Phone: 812-682-3626 Sunday School 9 a.m. Sunday Worship 10 a.m. Wed. Bible Study 6 p.m.
Saint Peter’s United Church of Christ Pastor Rev. Michael Erwin 10430 Hwy 66,Wadesville, IN 47638 Phone: 812-985-3416 Sunday School 9 a.m. Sunday Worship 10 a.m.
Nor th Posey Community Church Dr. Lee Brown, Pastor Poseyville, IN 47633 812-874-2028 Worship: Sun. @10:30 Bible Study: Sun.@6:00 p.m. Small groups for men, women, youth and children, Wed. @6:00 PoCo Joes, Fri. from 7-11 Old Union Christian Church Rev. Don French Hwy 165 Poseyville, IN 47633 Phone: 812-874-3186 Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:15 a.m. Wed. Kid’s Bible Club 4:30 p.m. Point Church of the Nazarene, Rev. Troy DeKemper 12611 Bonebank Road Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-838-5182 Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m. Wed. 6:30 p.m. Poseyville Christian Church Rev. Doris Beckerman Main Street, Poseyville, IN 47633 Phone: 812-874-3411 Sunday Fellowship Time 9:15 a.m. Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m. Saint John’s Episcopal Church Rev. Allen Rutherford 600 Walnut Street Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-838-5445 Sunday Holy Eucharist 10 a.m. Monday Women’s Bible Study 7 p.m. Saint John’s United Methodist Church Rev. Alice Crawford
Saint Peter’s United Methodist Church Pastor Jeff Pinney 2800 S. Saint Philips Road Evansville, IN 47712 Phone: 812-985-3751 or 812985-2025 Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Father Edward Schnur 10 N. St. Francis Avenue, Poseyville, IN 47633 Phone: 812-874-2220 Saturday Mass 6 p.m. Sunday Mass 9 a.m. Stewartsville United Methodist Church Rev. Bill Ping RR 2 Poseyville, IN 47633 Phone: 812-851-5561 Sunday School 8:30 a.m. Sunday Worship 9:30 a.m. The House of Prayer COGIC Pastor J.I. Hargett 816 E. Third Street Mt. Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-985-3841 Sunday Worship 10 a.m. Tuesday Worship 7 p.m. Friday Worship 8 p.m. The Turning Point 9800 Middle Mount Vernon Road Evansville, IN 47712 Phone: 812-985-9800
Saint Philip Catholic Church Father Thomas J. Kessler 3500 St. Philip Road South Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-985-2275 Saturday Mass 4:30 p.m. Sunday Mass 7 a.m.; 11 a.m.
Trinity United Church of Church Rev. Cynthia Priem, Pastor 505 Mulberry Street Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-838-3805 Adult Study 8:30 a.m. Sunday Worship & Kids Class 10:10 a.m.
Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church 318 Main Street New Harmony, IN 47631 Phone: 812-682-4604 Sunday Christian Education 10 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II 10 a.m.
University Heights Baptist Church 8800 Middle Mount Vernon Road Evansville, IN 47712 Phone: 812-985-5158
Saint Wendel Catholic Church Father Edward Schnur 10542 W Boonville New Harmony Road Evansville, IN 47712 Phone: 812-963-3733 Sunday Mass 7:30 a.m.; 10:30 a.m.; 6 p.m. Salem Heusler United Church of Christ 11325 Lower Mount Vernon Road Evansville, IN 47712 Phone: 812-985-2542 website:www.salemuccheusler.com Sunday School 9 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:15 a.m. South Gibson Apostolic Chapel Pastor Joe Sizemore 6144 S. 1075 W. Owensville, IN 47665 Phone: 812-729-7231 Sunday Worhship 10:00 a.m.
Wadesville General Baptist Church 3262 Princeton Street Wadesville, IN 47638 Phone: 812-673-4660 Sunday School 9 a.m. Sunday Worship 10 a.m. Zion Lippe United Church of Christ Rev. Jay Warren 9000 Copperline Road East Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Phone: 812-985-2437 Sunday School 9 a.m. Family Worship 10 a.m. Zoar United Church of Christ Rev. John Motz 4600 Church Road Evansville, IN 47712 Phone: 812-963-3749 Sunday School 8:30 a.m. Sunday Worship 10 a.m. Monday Bible Study 10 a.m. Thursday Evening Bible Study 7 p.m.